The Bodyguard
by Evan Divine
Summary: Thanks to a little tip from the Voice, Max is on a hunt for a new mutant in the area. Could this turn out to be another false lead? Or will he become the greatest help yet?
1. Day 1

**A/N: This is the first series i wrote at least a year ago. This is what inspired me to become a writer, originally put up on deviantART. so really, it's all done, so i'll be posting a few chapters at a time until its all up here. anyway, i enjoyed writing it, and i hope you guys enjoy reading =]**

_Max, fly to these coordinates.  
_I groaned and groggily opened my eyes before a map flashed before my eyes. After processing where I had to go, I asked "what's there?" I didn't expect it to, but the Voice actually answered a direct question... more or less  
_There's a mutant in that area. He'll be a valuable asset to your mission._  
I debated on whether or not it would be a trap, but decided that so far the Voice hadn't set me up before, so I didn't think it would start now. Once again, I had no idea what to expect, but I had no other missions currently on my shoulders, so I figured a side trip would be nice for me and my flock.  
Speaking of which, I decided it was time to wake them. I clapped my hands together and called out "Up and at 'em, everyone!" Iggy, who was on last watch, winced at my loud noisemaking, but opened his backpack and started fixing breakfast. Which wasn't much, of course.  
We had camped out at the forest, somewhere in Illinois. The coordinates the Voice gave me were pretty much in the suburbs of Chicago. Can't get more specific, for safety's sake. It only took about an hour of flying to get to the coordinates, and we ended up at the end of a neighborhood. It wasn't a big one, but it took a few minutes to walk back and forth. The coordinates led right to a two story house. Not fancy, but not cruddy looking either. No one seemed to be home, but of course we couldn't go right up and knock on their door. So what did we do? We hid in some bushes across their yard. The great outdoors, huh?  
"Max, what are we doing here?" Fang hissed behind me.  
"I guess we're suppose to be finding someone here...?"  
Fang looked like he was about to start spitting venom at me, when suddenly I saw Iggy's head tilt, indicating we should listen. Well, we ended up actually seeing instead of hearing. Iggy had heard a door opening, and we saw someone walk out of the house. He was plugged into an iPod, a blank expression on his face, looking down at the ground as he walked down the driveway. He looked kinda Hispanic, but it was just in a bit of traits at best. He had short brown hair with the front spiked up. He had to be at least 15, maybe 16. He had a thin jacket on, but it wasn't zipped up, and it didn't look like it could hide wings or anything. He just looked like a plain ol' human.  
"Is that him?" Nudge whispered. I shrugged. "Doesn't exactly look mutant-ish."  
I was torn between an internal conflict of listening to the Voice's coordinates and approaching him, or just blowing the Voice off and finding something else to do. The guy was approaching fast, and I didn't know if he'd see us or not. I held my breath and waited.  
He turned out of his driveway and kept walking, straight past us. I let my breath out. He must've been too tuned into his music to notice us. I sighed and stepped out of hiding and onto the pavement. I felt the flock's unease at my actions, but regardless I waited till the guy felt my eyes on him to turn around. He raised an eyebrow, because at this point all six of us (seven if you count Total) were now standing on the pavement where he just was a few seconds ago. He turned off his iPod and waited for us to say something. I could see his muscles tensing, as though he was expecting us to fight him. As if, I thought. I cleared my throat. "Um... hi there." He nodded, but stayed silent. "Uh... me and my friends are... kinda lost. Do you think we could crash at your house till we figured out where we need to go?" I mentally slapped myself for such a lame excuse. Usually I was better at that kinda stuff, but I guess I was just off today.  
There was a long silence while he scanned all of us, up and down. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he simply said "sure." And with that, he walked back to his house, with us behind him.  
He seemed a little disappointed at having to miss his precious walk, but there was something else in his eyes... it kinda looked like suppressed excitement. He opened the front door and held it open for us to get in before closing and locking the door, which sent my senses on precautionary alert. I was automatically scanning the area for emergency exits. He nodded for us to follow him, and he led us to a kitchen.  
I heard the yapping dog before I saw it. No sooner did it start barking before the guy said "Abigail, hush!" The dog shut up. As we rounded the corner into the kitchen, we saw a small Maltese, hopping on its back legs trying to get over the little gate. We stepped over it and past the dog. The guy stepped behind a counter island-thing in the middle. "Help yourself to some food. Don't worry about the supply, we have plenty." Then, he surprised me with a smile. "I know you guys are big eaters."  
I managed to keep the surprise off my face. "Excuse me?" I said. "Come on," he said. "Don't play dumb. I know you guys are the kids with wings I've been hearing about."  
"What makes you think that?"  
"The fact that you match the descriptions on the news and on Fang's blog. And the coincidence that all seven of you just HAPPEN to be together, and come practically out of nowhere. Yea, I'm pretty sure you're them."  
"I don't see YOU introducing yourself" I snarled. He bowed his head. "Where are my manners? Call me Matt. You guys are them, right?"  
"Maybe we are," Fang said. "What's it to you?"  
"Curiosity, that's all. Don't worry, I'm not one of 'Them' " he put air quotations around Them. "And I highly doubt my parents are either. My dad's an ex-Secret Service agent with a bad back, and my mom's a perky cosmetologist, so you can relax about that." We all looked him suspiciously, then he blinked and said "oh, and my brother's away at college. You guys are more than welcome to come and go as you please. I'll try to make you guys as..." he looked up as if to search for the right words. He finally said "less tense, as possible."  
We all looked at each other. Yes, it would be good to have a few more days of downtime. Yes, it was a possibility of a trap, and yes, we didn't trust him. But here was my thinking: if my Voice told me that there was a mutant in this area, and if this kid wasn't him, than maybe he could lead us to him. And we needed all the help we could get to save the world.  
I sighed. Sometimes being the leader sucks. I shrugged. "I guess we can stay for a little."  
The flock looked excited at being able to chill, and Matt seemed pleased. He didn't show it on his face though. He nodded, and walked off, muttering something about having to buy more food for us. He was about to walk out the door when he stopped and turned back. "Oh yea, few more things. Like I said, make yourself at home. You're welcome to anything in the house. And as a heads up, my mom'll be home soon. When she sees you guys the first thing she'll do is play 20 million questions about your personal lives. Sorry, she's just like that. So you might want to come up with a story now."  
Total trotted up and sat down. "What can a dog do for fun around here?" We all expected Matt's eyes to bulge, but to our surprise, he scratched his chin thinking, as if a dog talking was completely normal. "Well, if Abigail will stop being snotty, you could play with her. You can also go into the back yard to run around."  
Total turned back to me. "Why don't YOU ever let me play with other dogs?"  
I mentally counted to ten. Matt was trying to stifle a laugh.

Well, I'll hand it to Matt, he does mean his mother's interrogative. As soon as she walked in the door and saw us, the 20 million question game began. After we were sure she wasn't thinking we were robbers, robbers who where watching the boys who where probably having too much fun on Matt's Wii, we told her we just wanted to rest, and she left us. Not much later, Matt returned with loads of groceries. Then, get this, he looked around the house and brought us a freaking mini fridge to his bonus room, where we were going to crash. Not only that, but a microwave as well. Sheesh, did this guy have everything? Well, everything except maybe wings. "Look!" the Gasman cried happily. "I made me!" I looked at his cheaply made "Mii" on the tv set. "Nice..." I said sarcastically. He crackled mischievously. "Don't worry Max," Fang said. "I made you too." It took only a few seconds before Fang pulled up my Mii. My eyes widened at the crappiness he made it into. It basically looked like me, but the idiot made me super skinny (which i guess i am), super small, and it looked like I was yelling. I stuck my tounge out at him. Fang tried to hold back a smile, and the others were laughing at all the different Miis. Even Matt was there, kinda distant from us (wise on his part), but still laughing with us. After several more hilarious tries, Matt got up. "Ok guys, I'm headin' in. See ya in the morning." With that, he departed to his room. Gazzy was helping Iggy make some different Miis while I slid over to Angel. "What are you picking up from him?" I asked her. She scratched Total's ears. "Nothing bad," she said. "From what I can tell, he really does want to take care of us, and he doesn't want to hurt us. He's kinda paranoid though."  
"Anything about any mutants?" She shook her head. I groaned. Matt's bonus room had two couches, and a slumped into a sitting position on one of them, even though me and Fang were gonna sleeping on the floor. I could practically smell the false lead already.


	2. Day 2

Ok, Matt could be a whitecoat spy. He could be sending coordinates to Eraser replacements right now. This Sunday morning, for the next thirty minutes, that didn't matter. All that mattered was my incredibly hot shower. Unfortunately I had to turn it off before I fell asleep in there. Hair still dripping, I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway - right into Matt's way. I knew I had time to think Crap before we'd collide.  
The next few seconds happened so fast, but thanks to my raptor vision I picked out what happened. When I stepped in front of Matt, he saw it and reflexively leapt off of the foot he just stepped with to the other direction, and it looked like he span around past me, to what looked like a 540 turn. He ended up facing me on my other side, hopping on one leg to keep balance. "Sorry," he quickly muttered, then turned around and kept on walking. I stood there dumbstruck. Humans shouldn't have that kind of reflexive action... right?

After breakfast, and a batch of his mother's chocolate chip pancakes (which I must say were AMAZING! I mean, I'd heard of chocolate chip cookies, but pancakes!? Almost as good as the cookies. Almost), Matt asked us if we'd show him how we flew. I was hesitant at first, since I didn't want to give our cover away, even though he already knew. So I just said "we never said we're the bird kids." His simple reply was "you never said you weren't." Great, another Fang. Eventually I caved, mainly cuz we had gone through the night without anyone being attacked. He showed us to the backyard, where there were no houses behind us, and he assured us all his neighbors were senile grandparents who no one would believe if they told someone they saw flying children. Before we took off, he asked me a question. "So, if I may ask, what brings you guys here anyway?"  
I shrugged. "We just needed some downtime, and you just happened to be walking by."  
He looked at me like I was a five year old with a crayon in hand lying about coloring on the walls. "Ok," he said. "What's the REAL reason?"  
"What makes you think there's another reason?"  
"Because I'm not stupid. I know you guys don't go around asking people to spend the weekend at their house..." he seemed to reconsider his words, then just shrugged. "If you guys won't tell me, I'll figure it out myself eventually." He sat down on his porch. "Just have fun. Pretend like I'm not even here."  
As if we could, I thought. I ran my fingers through my hair while I felt the flock waiting for my next move. Slowly, making sure I had room behind me, I extended my wings and let them spread to their full length. I knew Matt couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. I heard him breathe "awesome..." which is a nice change.  
The rest of the afternoon consisted of sparring, practicing flying routines, and just relaxing on the porch. He frequently brought us refreshments, and he was amazed at how much we were sucking down. He'd better get use to it.

Fang slouched back on his chair, lemonade in hand. He was watching Max practicing some of the hawk's maneuvers. She was learning fast, he thought.  
"Beautiful, isn't she?"  
Fang blinked in surprise and looked at Matt, who was also watching Max. Fang didn't exactly know how to reply to that, since he WAS talking to a stranger, and he didn't know if Max could hear them. Eventually he took another sip of his lemonade and muttered "yea..." through the glass, not sure of Matt could hear him. Matt must have, because then he said "you're a lucky guy, Fang."  
Fang almost spat out his drink at that comment. He was about to reply when Matt spoke first, watching Max the whole time. "I mean, you guys have WINGS, your life is full of adventure and thrills... and you've got a chance with a girl like that. I hate to let my sins out, but I envy you, Fang."  
Fang seemed to understand then. He kept his face impassive as always. "Do you love her?"  
Matt hesitated, and he could tell by his eyes that Matt's mind was wondering, probably flashing back. After several moments, Matt slowly shook his head. "Love is too strong a word. Infatuated at best. But then again, I'm just a normal human. It wouldn't work with me and her." Matt glanced at Fang then, and Fang could see everything in his eyes. "I'll leave her to you. You two are meant to be together" Before Fang could respond, Matt got up and walked through the back door into his house. Max set down next to Fang. "Why'd he go in?" Staring at the door, all Fang could do was slowly shake his head.

Guess what? Matt actually took us OUT to EAT! I guess he'd given up trying to feed us on his own and decided to let a restaurant deal with us. Ok, it wasn't fancy shmancy, but it was nice on his part. Also, wise on his part, it was an all you can eat buffet, so he just paid one price for all of us to eat till our guts burst. I must say, it was fantastic.  
Later that night, the flock and I were watching Gazzy's futile attempts at playing Guitar Hero, which was pretty hilarious, in Matt's bonus room. Matt seemed to wise up that night and brought a sheet for me and Fang to lay on, since we slept on the floor. Later, I asked Angel again on what Matt was thinking that day. "His mind wonders a lot," she said. "He kinda, like, thinks about something, then trails off and thinks about something else. I don't think he's doing it on purpose though."  
Uh-huh. "Can you make any sense of it?"  
"One thing I can get, is that he isn't happy."  
Hm, that was news. Fang half raised his hand, keeping his eyes glued to the tv. "I can vouch for that," he murmured. I ignored him.  
"What do you mean, sweetie?" I asked Angel.  
"He daydreams a lot. He thinks about things he believes can't happen, but he'd really like to. Like being a hero." She took Celeste out of her belt and set her down. "Basically," she finished. "He isn't happy with his life."  
Ok, THAT made me snap. Without a word, I got up and stomped downstairs.

Matt was in the kitchen, earphones on, listening to music on the computer while playing Solitare. I stormed in and stood next to him, barely restraining myself from grabbing him. He eventually flicked off one of his earphones and looked at me. "Yea?" he said.  
"Don't 'Yea?' me!" I yelled. He paused, then looked back to his monitor, turned off the computer, took both earphones off and looked at me. "Ok, what'd I do?" he asked.  
"You aren't happy with your life? YOU aren't happy with YOUR life!? What are you thinking!?"  
Matt blinked in surprise. "I never said anything..." he sighed. "Angel?" he asked. "Who CARES!" I snapped back. At this point he stood up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What's your problem?" he growled.  
"MY problem!? What's YOUR problem!? You have everything you could ask for! And YOU aren't happy!? What's your DEAL!?"  
"My 'deal' is this," keeping his voice calm, but I could practically see the venom dripping out of his words. "Yes, I have a lot of things, but THINGS don't make me happy. My days consists of this: I wake up. I eat breakfast. I go to the same school classes. I come home. I stare at my monitor till I do my homework and go to bed. Every. Freaking. Day. My life is ROUTINE. It's BORING. Let me let you in on a little secret. I have a warrior's spirit. I was born in the wrong era. If I was born, say, two thousand years ago, I'd be happy with my life. But I hate guns, and I'm too kind to start fist fights. So all that emotion I keep bottled up inside of me, and it has no where to go. THAT, Max, is why I am not happy. I wish I had your life."  
It took several moments for me to digest this. "At least YOU don't have to constantly worry about being hunted down and KILLED every single day of your limited life, or worry about, oh, I don't know, getting enough to eat! At least YOU didn't have to go through physical and mental TORTURE! I'm the one who wishes I had YOUR life!"  
Matt slowly shook his head. "That just proves humans are never truly happy, no matter what they're given. We always want more than what we have."  
I started to come back when I realized he was right. I bet if I were in his shoes, I'd be thinking the same thing he was.  
"Max," he said a little more calmly. I knew he was taking his anger and bottling it. "I am not afraid of death. I'd rather have the thrill of adventure that you have than this cookie-cutter life." He brushed past me, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. "And you're wrong," he said. "I've gone through psychological torture. I'm the one who does have a normal life, and crap still blows up in my face." And with that, he kept on walking and went upstairs for the night, leaving me at a loss for words.


	3. Day 3

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR MAXIMUM RIDE

I could barely sleep that night. Acid was still burning in my gut at the fight Matt and I had. I managed to get a few hours of sleep though, and the entire flock was up by 8 o'clock. We went downstairs to the kitchen, where we unanimously agreed to have chocolate chip pancakes again. The kids deserve it, I thought. After all, I had decided we were leaving today. This seemed to be another false lead, and I was ready to split. I briefed it with the flock before we went down, and they wanted to stay at least until Matt got home from school, so they could say goodbye. I had to agree. Besides, if we left earlier, we wouldn't get the chance to have Matt's mom's infamous pancakes. Yesterday when we first had them, she made three for each of us at first. Three pancakes for one of us. Ha ha! That's funny, right?  
Well, she learned her lesson after that, and made six for each of us today. FYI, if you ever have a blind friend, and he's an amazing cook, get him to cook with a stay-at-home mom. The sight is pretty rich. Like, she couldn't trust him with anything, till he proved he could make her pancakes.  
Later, while we were scarfing down the pancakes, the phone rang. Matt's mom looked at the caller ID, cocked her head quizzically, then answered it. "Hello? This is she." I looked at her over my plate. She was silent, listening to the other end. Then, her face turned pale. "Oh, my God, how did it happen?" By this time, we were all looking at her. There was more silence, then she grimly nodded. "Ok. I'll be right there. Thank you." She hung up.  
"What's hap'nin?" Nudge said around a mouthful of pancakes. Matt's mom looked at us. "Max? Nick? Would you two take a run with me to Matt's school?"  
I resisted the urge to yell "NO!" at the thought of going to a school, but I had to ask first. "Why?" By the way, yes, we did use our fake names we used when we were at Annes. We were hundreds of miles away from there, so it wasn't like anyone nearby would recognize us.  
"Matt's in the nurse's office. He passed out during one of his classes, and they can't figure out why."

The drive up to the school was pretty much as I expected: silence. I think Matt's mom could sense our unease, so she decided it was best not to talk to us. It took about three minutes to get to his high school, and thankfully the nurse's office wasn't far from the exit. As soon as we walked in, the lack of antiseptic smells was my first welcoming thought. It was immediately quelled by the sight of Matt, laying unconscious on the nurse's bed. He was clammy-looking, his breathing was ragged and rapid, and there was a wet cloth on his forehead. I wanted to look at Fang and Matt's mom, to see how they were doing, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Matt. I don't know why, I just couldn't. There was something different about him...  
The nurse stood up from her stool and shook her head in amazement. "I can't figure out what's wrong with this boy," she said in distress. That snapped me out of my trance, and I looked over at her. "What do you mean, you can't figure out what's wrong?" Matt's mom asked like a frantic mother hen.  
"He's got a high fever, and he hasn't woken up since he fainted. I think you should let him rest for a few more hours, just to be safe. If he gets worse or he still hasn't woken up... take him to urgent care."  
My gut tightened at the thought of it. Not for Matt's part, but for the fact my flock and I might have to go along, into a hospital; one of our least favorite places to be.  
Matt's mom solemnly nodded. "Ok. Thanks again."

So of course, Fang and I had to drag Matt's butt back to the car. We managed to get him sitting up in one of the seats and latched on the seat belt. I thought I saw him stir, but he was still out cold. Just then, a thought shivered down my spine. Could he have been poisoned? This seemed like something poison would do, but I didn't know when that could've happened.  
When we got to Matt's house, Fang and I, of course, had to carry him upstairs, where we plopped him on one of the couches in his bonus room. The flock crowded around him, waiting for a change in his health. When nothing seemed to be happening, we turned on the tv to pass the time, and waited.  
It was a long and boring hour until Matt finally stirred again. I expected him to pass back out, but then I finally saw his eyes open halfway. A half smile crossed my face. "Mornin', big guy," I said.  
It was then Matt's eyes shut tightly and he screamed through clenched teeth.

The sudden noise made everyone leap on their feet. Matt's arms crossed over his chest and his fingers were digging into his back. He rolled and fell on the ground, trying to restrain himself from crying out the entire time. The Gasman reached for him. "Hey, you ok?" he asked timidly.  
Pain contorted Matt's face, and his head snapped up at Gazzy. "Get back!" he yelled through a tightened jaw. Despite himself, Gazzy jumped back in shock. Matt's breathing turned sharp and quick, and he tried to bury his head in the ground. I heard him breathe "feels like my skin is about to explode..." Total was whimpering from anxiety. Just when I was about to reach in to help him, he jumped to his feet and tried to run to the stairs. He must've been disoriented, cuz he slammed into the wall before quickly running downstairs, his fingers still clenching his back.  
We all stared at each other before we silently agreed to follow him, Total trotting after us. By the time we made it down the stairs, he had already opened the back door and was out on the porch, and Abigail was barking frantically. I was the first one of the flock out.  
The first thing I noticed was blood specking the porch deck. The next thing I noticed was a WING that had was attached to Matt's back, fresh blood around the base and a hole in his shirt. It wasn't like ours though. Ours looked like bird wings. This one looked more like a bat wing. I had just put two and two together when Matt groaned and bent down. I saw another part of Matt's back move in lumpy bits, like something was trying to escape. The bits then move upward, trying to force its way out of his skin. Matt couldn't help it now; he screamed in agony. Then, in one totally gross moment, a fresh wing burst from Matt's back and unfurled, making blood flake into the deck.  
Matt's breathing was slowing down now, and he looked at his bat wings, completely proportional to his body and weight, like our own. The wingspan was about fifteen feet wide, the wing was mostly brown and the membrane was black. He looked at them in shock. "Wings..." he gasped. "I... have... wings..." his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed again.  
Ok, I had grown up in a dog crate. I was subjugated to ugly mutant mix-and-matches most of my life. But I had never seen something like THIS happen before.  
That's spontaneous mutation for ya, folks.

If you don't know, watching someone sleep for an hour is completely boring. It's a little more interesting when you have to patch up their new wing bases to keep them from bleeding everywhere, but other than that, it was a snore-fest. Finally, Matt groaned and barely lifted his eyelids. Thankfully he didn't scream this time. I sat down next to him and his gaze slowly shifted to me. "Hello," I said. "Call me Max. I'll try to make you as... less tense, as possible. You are more than welcome to come and go as you please."  
Matt stared at me through half dazed eyes, and I was beginning to think his sense of humor was gone until he closed his eyes and a wide smile crept on his face. "You poser," he said. "That's what I said."  
I grinned. "Good to see you're healthy enough for jokes."  
"I'm always healthy enough for jokes." He tried to sit up, but six pair of mutant hands held him down. Plus two mutant paws. "Don't strain yourself," Iggy said. Matt chuckled. "Guys, really, I'm ok now. I feel better than ever, actually." We looked at each other. I nodded to them, and they let him go. Matt sat up, stretched his new wings, and looked at them in awe. A dumb grin spread across his face, and he laughed in amazement. "I can't believe it! Wings!" Suddenly his face dropped. "Wings... how did I get them?"  
"I can answer that."  
We all looked at Matt's mom, who had just entered the room from the other door. The thought just occurred to me that during the entire two hours, through the screaming and pain, his mother hadn't come up once to check on him. I looked at Matt, and saw his eyes turn to stone. "You knew?" he said with a hint of aggression. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"  
Matt's mom didn't look him in the eyes. "Yes... we knew from day one. The truth is Matt..." she paused to sigh. "You aren't my child. Paul was our only son. Your... my husband, in his high position on the government, was offered to take you in as his son, and this company would pay him for all costs to raise you, plus an extra bonus for agreeing to take you in. This company wanted to see how you'd interact in the real world, with normal children... like a normal child... everyone you've met throughout your life; doctors, friends, teachers, they all knew, but were forced to keep silent."  
I made the mistake at looking at Matt to see what he was feeling. It looked like he wanted to rip his ex-mother's head off. His face was contorted with barely controlled rage, and his hands were clenched into fists. "How much...?" he growled. Matt's ex-mother sighed again. Then hesitated before replying. "$15,000" she said.  
The silence that followed was nerve wracking. It was finally broken by Matt. "So you're telling me," he said with more anger in his voice than the fight me and him had. "That you put me in a school of snotty, cliquey, egotistical humans and sixteen years of pure emotional HELL, just so you could get fifteen grand off of me!?"  
Silence. I knew what it was like to have a psycho-mom. Kinda. Back when I thought the Director was my mom. But this was different. Matt had grown up with her. He'd loved her like a real mom. Now, his whole life, everything he thought he knew, was crashing in front of him like a train wreck. It must be hard, I thought.  
Before his ex-mom could reply, Matt stormed out and down the back stairs. His ex-mom, who I will refer to as Crazy Old Mom II, brushed her hand through her hair. I wordlessly got up to follow Matt, and the others followed me. I saw him out the front door just in time to catch him running down the driveway before leaping himself into the air and clumsily flapping his wings, trying to fly. He was successful, surprisingly, and took off into the air. I knew better than to follow him. His first time flying, I thought. It must feel nice.

Matt came back several hours later, his face composed. Before he even asked us, we asked him to come with us. He half smiled and nodded, saying his thanks. Crazy Old Mom II wisely stayed out of his eyesight while he packed a few things before meeting us in the driveway. We gave him the basics for flying, and in ten minutes he was flying away with us like he'd been flying his whole life. During the entire flight, he stayed a little distant from the rest of us, constantly looking at the passing ground below.  
Angel glided next to me. "He's really upset," she said.  
"I know, sweetie. It must be hard for him."  
She glanced at him. "I mean, he's a excited he's starting a new life and all, away from 'normality,' as he called it. But right now, he's just upset that he's been lied to his whole life. He also doesn't like to be used."  
I nodded. "Thanks, Ange." She smiled, then coasted up to Iggy to check on Total.  
I, on the other hand, glided to Matt. "Hey, sunshine," I said.  
He blinked, taken away from his trance, then looked at me. "How you holdin' up?" I asked.  
Matt frowned, then looked down again. "At the moment... not well. In a few days, probably much better. Just give me some time to get on my feet."  
If we were on the ground, I would have patted his shoulder. But I didn't want to get our wings tangled, so I just said "ok," then flew back into formation. After we were flying for a few minutes more, the Voice, aka Jeb, chimed in. Of course. He gave me the coordinates for a meeting spot. I was about to blow him off when he said Mom would be there. I couldn't pass that up, so I instructed everyone to change course, and they followed in unison.

It was getting late in the day when we met Jeb and Mom, standing outside a van. I was cautious at first, thinking that Flyboys could easily be in those vans, but if Mom was there, I figured they probably weren't.  
When we landed, and I resisted the immediate urge to run to Mom and hug her. That would come later. Jeb glanced at Matt. "You're the mutant?" he asked.  
I saw Matt's jaw tighten for a moment. "No, of course not," he said sarcastically. "Ignore the fact I FLEW here with Max and her flock. I just bought these wings at Wal-Mart." Jeb's face flushed, and he was about to say something when Angel said "he's gone through a lot. He's just upset." Jeb seemed to calm down, and he nodded. "I've been expecting you," he said. Several professional looking men in suits exited the van and stood beside Jeb. "My name is Jeb. Come," he said. "We need to begin your training."  
Matt cocked his head. "Training?"  
"Yes. As it is, you aren't experienced enough to fight with Max yet. You have abilities you don't understand, and I need to show you them."  
Matt shrugged. "I've taken several years of self defense, if that counts as experience."  
Jeb gave a wry smile. "No, not quite. You need more. Please, just come with me."  
To my surprise, Matt started walking to Jeb. I quickly grabbed his arm, and he looked at me in surprise. "What are you doing?" I hissed. "We don't know if we can trust him, and you're just gonna go with him to train?"  
"Max, don't worry about me," he whispered back. "You have other things to worry about." He paused, and a reassuring smile crossed his face, which, surprisingly enough, reassured me. "I'll find you guys again. I promise."  
And with that, I let him go. Matt took a deep breath and stepped into the van. The flock waved and said their goodbyes and thanks. Matt flashed us a smile before the van door closed and it drove away.  
Which left us with Jeb and Mom.  
"So," I looked at Jeb. "What's next?"  
Jeb's face turned slightly pale, and he looked down. "It's time... to bury your half-brother, Max."

**A/N: if you haven't been able to tell yet, these first three days is part of the time between the third and fourth book.**

…**. That is all….**


	4. One Month Later

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR MAXIMUM RIDE: THE FINAL WARNING

"Ok, what're the chances of us totally kicking their butts?"  
Fang quickly glanced at me, but then his eyes locked back on the robot soldiers we saw when we were in Antarctica. They had attacked us a couple times before, and I think they haven't realized they need a lot of them to beat us. There was about twenty of them in the other end of the alley we were boxed into. Of course, we could still up-and-away, but I was in the mood to turn some of these guys into the scrap heap.  
"I think we can take them," he said. Akila was growling softly, and Total was, of course, in front of her to protect her. I gave Fang a brief nod. "Ok everyone, let's..." Suddenly a door to the alley was kicked open. My stomach dropped. If much more of those soldiers came here, we'd have to split.  
For the first second, I didn't see anyone. Then someone strode into the alley. He had something on that reminded me of a karate uniform I'd seen on tv, except this guy had a hood on, which was obscuring his face. The sleeves were longer than his arms... but not longer than the blades he was holding, which were the size of short swords, but looked more like spikes. The back of the uniform-thing had long slits in them... Iggy's head tilted. "We've met this guy somewhere..."  
Before I could say anything, the new guy turned to face the soldiers and said in a gruff voice "Max, take five."  
My eyes bulged. We DID meet this guy before. "I'll deal with these guys," he said. As he broke into a run, totally outnumbered, I could only think of one thing:  
Matt had found us.

Yo. This guy could fight! The soldiers were swinging punches and kicks everywhere, but Matt was everywhere too, blades flying to and fro. Mechanical limbs, torsos and heads were practically thrown around as Matt moved, almost gracefully, among them. It looked like he was hardly trying! When there were only eight of them left, they stopped, then simultaneously dog piled Matt. I heard the dreaded beeping of self-destruct countdowns being activated.  
That was when Matt's blades burst out of two of them... along with six other blades just like the others out of the other soldiers. I was about to question where the other blades came from, when Matt shifted his legs and the front two bots crashed down. Then I could see everything.  
Well, it turns out there were blades COMING OUT OF MATT! I wasn't able to tell before, but those first two blades? He wasn't holding them; they had come out of his palms! The front two that had dropped were impaled by blades that came out of his knee caps. He pulled the blades from his palms out of the bots they'd impaled, then thrust his arms forward and the back two dropped, who had been stabbed by blades that came out of his elbows, then he shifted his shoulders, and the last two dropped, who had been stabbed by blades from his shoulders. Then Matt raised his head and looked at us. My breath was taken from my lungs. Matt had changed since the last time I saw him.  
For one, his face was heavily scarred. There were several long scars across his face, I couldn't tell how many. Second, I saw black rings around his eyes, like he hadn't gotten any sleep in ages. Also, his eyes had changed. Before, his eyes always held compassion, innocence, and a little sadness.  
Now he had the eyes of a merciless killer.  
Matt stood straight up and his blades seemed to dissolve into his skin. I knew the flock was shocked at the potential that kind of mutation could bring. But such scenarios were silenced for the moment as we heard heavy thudding. Matt blinked just in time for good ol' Gozen to bust through the door Matt had came through. Apparently the hurricane hadn't killed him. Well, if it had, they'd brought him back. I could see new implants on his body from the hurricane damage.  
He wordlessly looked at us, then turned as he heard Matt walking to him. "You have met me on a bad day," Gozen said to Matt in his recorder-like voice. "I just got this today..." I saw his long arm transform into a huge laser...  
Matt moved like a flash. In a second he had crossed the distance of the alleyway and one of his hands clamped on Gozen's head. I couldn't see Gozen's face, but I bet he had a look of shock on his face. What I DID see was one of Matt's spikes exit Gozen's head. Gozen wasn't exactly human, so there was no blood, thankfully. I bet it would've been messy if there was. Matt's spike shrank back into his palm, and I could actually see though Gozen's wirey head. So gross. Gozen fell on his knees, then collapsed backwards.  
Matt looked at his hand, as though expecting it to be covered in blood, then looked his cold eyes back to us. I felt a chill run down my spine as his murderous eyes rested on me. He began a slow advance towards us. Is he really going to kill us? It was entirely possible, and I wasn't willing to take that chance.  
"U and A on my count," I whispered. 'Max, don't,' I heard Angel say in my head. My head snapped towards her, and I could see her eyes were locked on Matt. 'Angel...' I began before Matt's voice cut through the silence. "Maximum Ride..." he said deliberately. "I've been looking for you."  
Fang tensed up next to me, and I knew he was ready to throw himself at Matt to let us get away. Matt kept coming. "One..." I barely muttered. 'Max, please, he doesn't want to hurt us,' Angel said in my head again. I would lecture her on our safety later.  
"Two..." Suddenly, Matt came to a stop about ten feet from us... and fell on one knee and lowered his head into a deep bow. It reminded me of a medieval knight. "I wish to offer you my services," he said. "As a bodyguard... to you and your flock."

I had to close my mouth before I started attracting insects. "Wha..." I breathed.  
"I would like to be your bodyguard," Matt repeated. "Do you accept?"  
He had left us a month ago to be "trained" by Jeb. He could've been with us, maybe eventually become part of the flock. But he left with that traitor, and who knows what Jeb told him or gave him. Maybe he was chipped? There was no way to know what he had done.  
I felt the flock stare at me, waiting for my answer. My gaze shot down as I heard a low whimper. It was Akila. She had her tail between her legs and she was shrinking behind Iggy. That is not a good sign, I thought.  
I looked back to Matt and put my hands on my hips. "First of all, I'm not a queen, so get back up." Matt did as he was told, and stood up. It was then he seemed to notice Akila for the first time. He nodded to her. "That one talk too?" he asked.  
Total shook his head. "Unfortunately, no..." he muttered. I inwardly rolled my eyes. ONE talking mutant dog was bad enough. We didn't need two. Plus, the one talking mutant dog that would soon be a FLYING talking mutant dog, with the growing wings and all.  
Matt looked at me again. "So?" he asked. "Do you accept?"  
Let the interrogation begin. "How do we know we can trust you?"  
He nodded back to the pile of destroyed soldiers.  
"I killed your enemies. What more do I need to do?"  
He did have a point. "What did you do with Jeb?"  
"He showed me what I was capable of doing. My mutations. How to fight. How to kill."  
Ooook... "How do we know you won't kill us?"  
An amused look crossed Matt's face for a moment. "You're still alive, aren't you?"  
Cocky little bugger. Oh yea... "How did you kill all those guys? Where did those blades come from?"  
"It's my mutation." He pulled back one of his sleeves and held his arm across his body. I could see some things shifting and moving under his skin, which was kinda creepy. "I can manipulate the iron levels in my body, collect them on top of my skin, and condense them to the strength of adamantium." He then made several long rows of short spikes stick out of his skin, then pulled them back in. Gazzy punched the air. "That is so COOL!"  
Fang had to explain the sight to Iggy, who then whistled in amazement. Nudge winced. "So gross..." she murmured. I mentally agreed with her.  
"Next question?" Matt asked. At the moment, I didn't really have any more. I guess I'd find out the rest later. I sighed. "Ok," I said. "But I'll be keeping my eye on you. If you so much as twitch the wrong way... I'll take you out." I put as much menace into my voice as I could. I could've imaged the pained look that quickly flashed in his eyes, it was hard to tell. But still, he nodded. "Perfectly understandable."

We camped out in a forest again, since it didn't look like it was going to rain, and we were sure we wouldn't be spotted from the air or anywhere else. Most of the flock were settling down for the night, except for Fang, who was on first watch. I looked at Matt, who had his back to a tree, but making no obvious effort to falling asleep. "You should get some rest," I called over to him. "You look tired." He glanced at me for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the ground. "I don't sleep anymore," he said.  
There was silence after this little bombshell dropped. That explains the black rings, I thought. "Whatcha mean?" Nudge asked.  
"Let's just say... bad things happen when I do. Nightmares... Night terrors... It'd be better if I stayed awake."  
I knew Fang and Iggy would keep an eye on him during their watches, so I shrugged and settled down for sleep.

I awoke again when Iggy tapped me for my turn on watch. "How's he doing?" I whispered. Iggy shrugged. "I think he's been drawing. I can hear scratching on the ground, like constantly. It was hard for me to focus on any thing else." I patted his shoulder. "Well, I'll relieve you of your duty." Iggy smiled, then lay down for sleep.  
Well, Iggy was right. Matt was just sitting there, drawing on the ground. It looked like he was using a pencil at first, but closer examination revealed it was a small, sharpened piece of iron. I shut out the possibilities with his mutation, and after several minutes, moved and sat next to him. "Having fun?" I said.  
He gave me a half wave, then kept on drawing. I looked at the artwork. It was actually very good. Throughout the hours of the night, he was drawing the flock in flight. Me, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, even Total and Akila. But...  
"Where're you?" I asked.  
He didn't stop from his work. "Not in it."  
"Why?"  
Matt gave me a quick smile, but I saw some pain in it. "I'm not part of your flock, Max. I'm alone."  
For some reason, I felt a hint of sympathy for him. "You aren't alone. We're here with you."  
Matt slowly shook his head. "Max... I'm always alone, no matter how many people are beside me."  
I understood. He was the only one of his kind. I mean, my flock and I were mutant freaks, but we had each other. Matt had no one. It was a little sad. I decided to switch to a less depressing topic.  
"So... nice battle scars," I said.  
He gave me another amused smile. "You don't really think I'd let anyone do that to me, do you?"  
That means... "They're self-inflicted?" He nodded. "Why?" I said flabbergasted. "It reminds me of what I've done," he said. Despite myself, I reached up and touched one. "How many do you have?" I asked. He looked solemnly at me. "One for every real human I've killed... so twelve."  
That's technically twelve more than I've killed in my whole life. This guy meant business. His eyes and mine met for several moments. I could still see the killer in his eyes, but I saw something else. Was that...?  
Suddenly he broke his gaze at me and half turned away. "Don't you have to go back to watch?" he said with a touch of sadness in his voice. I sighed and nodded. "Max," he said just as I was about to leave. "You might think I'm upset, but I'm not. My mutations... OUR mutations... are gifts, not curses. I don't take them for granted. My life is disciplined, it's life-threatening, it's cold... and I wouldn't have it any other way..."


	5. The Next Week

Well, guess what? It seems like Matt's true to his word. We were attacked a couple more times throughout the week, and Matt took care of them all. We practically didn't have to lift a finger.  
But of course there's a catch: Angel can't read his mind anymore. She says he, like, shuts her out when he tries. Must've picked that trick up from Jeb the traitor.  
So, now we don't know what he's planning, if we can really trust him, or if he's chipped. I know the other kids are on edge around him. Hell, I can't blame them, I'm the same way. It's the years of paranoia.  
So tonight, we set up camp in a cave we found on a mountain. Right now, we don't exactly have a goal; we're kinda just wondering around the good ol' States.  
Anywho, after the six of us did our hand tapping ritual and settled down for the night, I tried to get comfortable for sleep while Fang was on watch. Matt proposed a while ago that, when we did trust him, we might let him take full watch. All night, every night. Sounded good, but he was right, we didn't trust him yet. Not yet. Maybe in a few years.  
Just when I was about to drift off to sleep, I felt a small hand gently shake my shoulder. I pulled myself onto my elbows and saw Angel looking at me with her big blue eyes. "Yea, Ange?" I asked. "Max, I can't sleep. Matt's thoughts keep ringing in my head."  
"Uh huh..." I mumbled sleepily. Then the truth of what she said hit me, and I snapped into wakefulness. "Wait, you can read his mind now? Since when?"  
"Since... now."  
"What's he thinking?"  
"He's... arguing... with some kinda voice."  
Well that's not being crazy at all, no sir. Then again, I DO have a Voice in my head too that I like to argue with. I took a glance over at Matt, who was sitting against a cave wall, and saw Angel might be right. Matt was staring at the ground, kinda looking like he was spacing out. His fingers on one of his hands were clenched around his head. It was obvious he was really trying to look like nothing was wrong.  
"You OK over there, Matt?" I called. Matt glanced at me quickly, then looked back down. "Fine," he muttered. Meaning he wasn't fine at all. I looked back to Angel. "What's he arguing about? Does his Voice sound like mine?"  
She shook her head, making her curls bounce. "You said you can't tell if your Voice is a boy or girl, or what. I can tell Matt's is a boy, but he... he sounds like a really mean person. He's trying to convince Matt to attack us, saying that it's been a long time since Matt's really killed anyone. Matt's saying he cares about us too much, and swore to you he'd protect us no matter what. Max... I don't like this. His Voice is really strong..." I hugged her shoulders and kissed her forehead while I was trying to absorb all of this. "It's OK, sweetheart. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you."  
Then, Matt stood up, and I tensed my hold on Angel. "Maximum, I need to go for the night," he said with a surprisingly amount of monotone in his voice. By this time, the entire flock was awake and looking at him. "No matter what happens, none of you can come looking for me. I'll be back by sunrise." He rushed past me and threw himself out of the cave. He unfurled his bat wings and they caught the air, and Matt soared away. Thanks to my raptor vision, I was able to watch him for a while. So, I was able to see his flying become increasingly sloppy and he eventually dropped like a stone from the sky into the forest below. I leapt up to go after him when Fang grabbed my arm. "He said not to follow him," Fang said coldly. "No matter what."  
"As if I'd listen to HIM," I shot back. Fang glared at me. He and Matt had conversed a couple of times, and I knew if they had some time, they would become really close. "Max, if what Angel's saying is right, we don't want to go after him. It could put us in danger." Curse Fang and his common sense. "Look," he said. "We'll be able to see if he comes back during our watches, so if anything happens, we'll see it from a mile away. So just chill." I rolled my eyes. "Fine. But if anything happens to us, I'll blame you." He put his hands up defensively. I turned on my heel, sat down, and struggled to get comfortable again.

The feeling of Iggy gently tapping my shoulder woke me up. "My turn for watch already?" I murmured. Even in the darkness, I could see Iggy shaking his head. "Tell me what's going on out there. It doesn't make sense to me." Confused, I sat up and sat with Iggy at the end of the cave. "Wait for it", he muttered. A few minutes passed, then his finger snapped forward. "There! What's happening?"  
My eyes widened. I could see a tree being shaken back and forth violently, about four hundred yards away. "It looks like," I said, "someone's shaking a tree." Then to my horror, the tree collapsed. "Did what I think just happen happen?" Iggy asked. "The tree just fell down," I gasped. "Did you hear any chainsaws? Were workers out late tonight? Or maybe did you only hear the sound of the tree falling?" There was the possibility Matt had cut one of them down.  
Iggy shook his head. "No. This sounded like... like the tree was torn from its roots. Who... or what... could've done that?"  
Well that's a scary thought. Who or what indeed?  
I shook my paranoia scenarios from my head and patted Iggy on the shoulder. "Let me know if Matt returns early." Iggy nodded grimly, then kept looking forward for watch. It was hard for me to get back to sleep.

Well, it turns out Matt did return, just a few minutes before sunrise, during my watch. He didn't even say hello, or good morning, or prepare to die. He just walked past me and sat against a wall again. Why did I have the feeling this was gonna come back around and bite us in the ass? Cuz everything does, I guess.  
Later that day, while we were flying, something shining on the ground caught my attention. I looked down, and motioned the flock to do the same. It was a busted soldier-bot, just laying crumpled in the forest. We circled overhead until we were sure it looked safe, then cruised down for a landing. Iggy brushed his fingers across it. "Hmm..." he said. "Seems to be busted up pretty bad. Beaten to death maybe? Wait a sec..."  
Before he could say anymore, we were surrounded by more soldiers. Great, I thought, these guys have camouflage. I mentally hit myself for falling into such an obvious trap. "U and A guys!" I called. "Straight up!" My flock obeyed instantly, and within seconds we were airborne again before the bots could do much.  
While we coasted away, I did a head count. Including myself, I counted six mutants and two dogs. Me and Fang were dragging Akila and Nudge had Total. We seemed to be golden.  
Then I stopped dead in my tracks. There weren't just six of us anymore. We had Matt with us now, who was flying close by. I frantically counted the flock again. Iggy was missing! "Iggy's gone!" I called. I turned back to our ambush spot to see Iggy in the clutches of the bot we assumed was dead and the others closing in on him. I was about to go zooming back in, guns blazing, when a voice cut me off. "Max, no, you'll get swamped." I turned to start chewing that someone out when Matt coasted up next to me. He looked like he was ready to rip some heads off. "Let me fight them," he said. "What makes you think you'll beat them all?" I growled.  
Matt sighed. "Remember what happened last night I didn't want you to see?"  
"It's time to show me?" I asked  
"It's time to show you," he confirmed. "When it happens, I want you to grab Iggy and run as fast as you can. Stay out of my sight, or you're as good as dead. I'll keep them busy. And Max..." he looked at me, and I saw sadness reflect in his eyes. "I'm sorry you have to see this," he finished. And with that, he flew towards the bots with full speed. He wouldn't be killing himself to save Iggy, would he? I instructed Gazzy to help Fang with Akila, and I flew behind Matt.  
Matt landed outside the ring of bots and growled. "Hey, tin cans!" They all turned as one and looked at him. Matt pulled both hands out of his sleeves and the uniform-thing, which was still connected by a belt, fell down behind him, leaving his entire top half bare. "Try taking me on for size." Suddenly, Matt grabbed his head and fell on one knee as the soldiers started advancing on him. When one of them got close, Matt suddenly jumped forward and swung his arm, a new blade decapitating the nearest bot. As electricity crackled throughout its body and collapsed, Matt opened his eyes and looked up at the bots... and grinned. His eyes were blood red.  
I flew overhead, but behind Matt, waiting for my chance to grab Iggy and get out of there. I saw Matt throw his head back and laugh. "I'm free!" he called, but his voice had changed. It sounded like his normal voice, but another, lighter, raspier voice was talking in sync with him. "It's been too long!" This statement really confused me, until, as he turned his head, I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They had turned bright red! It was then I noticed his fingers had long, iron claws sticking out of them, which he must've used to kill that first soldier. Just then, spikes littered his entire upper torso, making him look like a moving powerhouse. Matt, or this new Matt, roared and threw himself into the mass of soldiers. Even though I was entirely confused by what had just happened, I noticed all of the soldiers had lasered in on Matt, and I saw my chance.  
I swooped down to the bot that was holding Iggy and kicked it in the head, hard. It collapsed in a heap. "Iggy, follow me!" Iggy, with only minor bruises, jumped into the air and unfurled his wings. Together, we flew out of there like bats outta hell. I took a glance back... and saw soldiers dropping by the dozens. Even though I couldn't hear him, I saw Matt laughing hysterically as he cut through the soldiers like butter.  
I joined my flock as I saw the last soldier fall. Matt was panting and he looked around. My stomach dropped like a stone when his red eyes locked on us. He took off from the ground and was barreling towards us. "Fresh victims!" I heard him call. I was petrified. All I could do was flap. I had fought many things before, and I thought nothing could scare me anymore. But this... Matt was himself one minute, with a sad look in his eyes. And the next, he was a bloodthirsty berserker. It was just too much. He was getting closer, and he reared one of his claws back to kill me. Suddenly, I don't know how, but I got the power to yell "MATT!"  
His eyes bulged and, surprisingly, his spikes receded and wings crumpled... he began falling fast, his hands grabbing his head. "Iggy!" I called, and he followed me down. We swooped down and caught him just as he had gone limp. I looked at him and saw his eyes were closed and he was groaning. We set down before his weight dragged us down with him, and we laid him on the ground. The rest of the flock joined us. As we set down, Matt groggily opened his eyes. "Ugh... is everyone alright?" I punched him on the side of his head, hard. His head spun to one side, his eyes dazed for a moment, then his head shot back to me. "What the hell was that for!?" he yelled. "You almost KILLED us!" I yelled back. "What the hell WAS that back there!? Have you gone schizophrenic!? I thought you were supposed to be our bodyguard!"  
Matt sat up and glared at me. "I told you I didn't want you to see that, and I TOLD you to stay out of my sight! I can't control him well once I release him..." His voice trailed off and he averted my gaze. "Lunacy... that's what he is called. He's why I can't sleep anymore... once I do, he takes over. He's why I have to burn off steam every once in a while, like I did last night. He's why I have to battle him every time I feel something... good or bad. He's my eternal conflict."  
"Why didn't you tell us!?" I was not so soothed. He had better choose his words carefully, or else he would be outta here.  
"I was hoping you'd never have to see it. I was hoping you'd save the world, my job would be complete, I'd leave and be on my own, and Lunacy would just remain my secret."  
"How long...?" I growled.  
"Since the day I found out I was a mutant. When I left, I left to burn off steam and... he began talking to me. He showed me his power, and offered me to let him control me completely. But I couldn't give in to him. I knew I had other jobs to do, and I couldn't let that bloodthirsty monster have control of my body."  
It made sense, I guess. He had still gone back a few notches in trust points, and I'd have to keep a closer eye on him from now on. I knew this wouldn't be the last I would hear from this Lunacy...


	6. The Break in

I still hadn't forgiven Matt for not telling us about Lunacy. I mean, that thing almost KILLED us! I couldn't believe he'd hide something so dangerous. He seemed to be sorry though... but I bet he'd do it again if he could. If it was up to him, we'd have never known about it. I guess he didn't want to worry us or something.  
Anyway, I won't bore you with the minor details, but we eventually figured out the company that made Matt. It was called Methionine Co., and we figured it'd be good to check it out. If they created someone as dangerous as Matt, it must mean they mean business.  
A few Google searches later, a little flying around, and we landed outside their main building in Dallas, at good ol' Te-has. During our research, we found out Methionine Co. had been part of the Human Genome Project (we had to do a separate search to figure out what it was. It was basically a bunch of scientists trying to map out everything on DNA), which explains how they knew so much to make Matt.  
The place looked like it used to be a prison. The watch towers and the iron gates were unmistakable odor of a prison. Oddly, no one seemed to be at the watch towers, which made breaking in that much easier.  
We all flew over the gates and landed in the courtyard and stealthily crept to the main door, using the darkness as cover. When we got there, I instructed Nudge to disarm the security though the panel on the side of the main door. It only took a few seconds before she gave me the thumbs up. The doors, however, looked like something that had to be opened from the inside, at a security panel, most likely. "Max," Matt whispered after he saw the annoyed look on my face. "Need someone to bust that down?"  
I was confused as to how he could do that, but I shrugged, giving him the OK to go. He nodded, then went to the front of his door and closed his eyes. He then drew his right arm back and I saw four iron spikes begin to form. They grew and grew until they formed together and spiraled around his entire arm to form one huge spike. He opened his eyes, took a few more steps back, then charged the door and hit it with all his strength.  
The door burst off its hinges and flew down the hall, hit the ground halfway, sending sparks for a moment before it skipped into the air again, and crashed into the wall on the other side. It took a few moments for him to pull his spikes back in, then he nodded for us to follow. A second later I regained my composure and followed him, the flock falling in behind.  
Matt walked down the halls, leading us through halls and corridors like he'd been here his whole life.  
"How do you know where you're going?" I asked him quietly.  
He shrugged. "I don't... well... I kinda do... I don't know how. It's just coming to me."  
Several minutes later, we entered another hall. I could see a sign that said "Research Lab" at the end, and two paths in the middle connecting that hall to others.  
When Matt got to one of the paths, a soldier popped out and stuck a weird chip-thing on the back of Matt's neck, which fused instantly. Matt whirled and I saw iron forming on his hands... then he screamed and fell on his knees. I could practically see the electricity circulating through his body from the shock. More soldiers came out of hiding, including several which dropped from the ceiling.  
Of course, we took a few of them out with us, but they were too much, and with Matt looking like he was gonna hurl, we were eventually captured and subdued.

We were all dragged into a room similar to the one they held us in when we were in Florida for the hurricane. They undid the plastic cords from our hands and feet. They closed the huge door behind them and locked it. After several minutes of inspection of every possible escape routes, we found none, and decided to hang around until they came back to do whatever those crazy people wanted to do.  
I couldn't help but shoot daggers of glares at Matt. "Way to get us captured," I grunted. He glared back at me. "How was I suppose to know those soldiers would be here?"  
"Maybe you did, and you led us to be captured."  
His glare intensified. "Yes, Max, that's exactly it. I just let myself be shocked until my heart almost stopped JUST to fool you and your flock. You're quite the genius."  
"I try not to brag."  
He snorted and sat down with his back to me. Fang rolled his eyes at me, and went to stand in the corner.  
Another hour of boredom until the door opened. Just when I was about to make a break for it, I saw a professional looking man walk in, suit and all. He wore glasses and long black hair that was slicked back. I figured he wouldn't be much of a problem to take on... until I saw two soldier-bots walk in beside him, with two machine guns in their hands. OK, fighting is out of the question.  
"Welcome, misfits," he said in a snotty voice. My eyes narrowed at him. I immediately hated his guts. "So NOT nice to meet you," I shot back. His eyes narrowed at me in response. "You are Max, yes?"  
"Max I am."  
"I am the President of Methionine Co. Call me Dr. Yanes. I have heard a great deal about you from my colleagues. You're quite the troublemaker."  
"Just doin' my job."  
He ignored me and walked over to Matt's side, who by this time had turned around again to face us, but had his arms crossed and eyes closed. "Project E-01, how nice to see you again." Matt didn't respond. "You responded to human interaction quite well. But waiting sixteen years until your mutations kicked in? I'm disappointed." Silence. Yanes scowled, then swung a low kick at Matt.  
Without even opening his eyes, Matt's hand shot out and caught the foot. "Try that again and the leg comes off," Matt growled. The soldiers at the door raised their guns at Matt and aimed. Yanes pulled his foot back and shook his head at the soldiers. They lowered their weapons again. "You aren't in a position to challenge me," the President said. "That chip on your back responds to increases in iron. Any sharp change and you'll get another nasty little shock."  
"To kill you, it might be worth it."  
"MIGHT being the key word. I know you wouldn't dare kill me when you yourself would be killed."  
"Try me."  
Yanes backed off a bit, and I mentally cheered Matt on. Then I remembered I was mad at him.  
The President snorted and turned back to us. "I hope you enjoy your stay here at Methionine Co. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you be more comfortable."  
"Then come about ten feet closer," I said. "So we can get more acquainted."  
Yanes smiled. "That, little missy, is out of my power."  
He turned on his heel and stepped out with the bots, and the door closed behind him.  
I turned to Angel. "No luck?" I asked. She shook her head.  
Gazzy slumped down and sighed. "Well, this sucks," he groaned.  
That pretty much summed up our entire situation.


	7. The Escape

Ugh! Waiting is sooo boring! Why don't they send in a couple soldiers to beat up at least? Just to pass the time?  
At least they fed us. Not like the kinda food the Uber-Director gave us (like birdseed! God, I still crack up when I think about that), but, like, normal food. A couple sandwiches, some fruit, water, stuff like that.  
Hours later, when I was about to fall asleep, I heard a loudspeaker click on. "E-01 and friends, I have an announcement." Yanes, the Company President. "A termination squad is on its way. You are all considered obsolete. You have thirty minutes to say your goodbyes." Before I could make a smart comeback, the loudspeaker clicked off.  
"Max?" I looked over to Angel, who was looking up at me with her big eyes. I pulled her close and hugged her. "It's OK, sweetie. We'll escape, just like we always do."  
"And how do you suppose we do THAT?" Iggy snorted. I repressed my anger at his pessimism. "We'll get out. Don't you worry."  
"People know when to give up, Maximum." OK, NOW I could vent my anger at Matt. "How can you say that!?" I turned and yelled him. "We can't just give up!"  
Matt sighed, then smiled unexpectantly. "Fortunately for us, I'm not an ordinary person." He reached behind his head, rolled his neck, then held out his hand. He had that electric chip in his hands! There was a large hole, well, large compared to the chip, in the middle of it. My mouth dropped. "How'd you..." He lowered his head and pointed to the back of his neck. There was a small spike that protruded from his neck. "You think I was just twiddling my thumbs for the last few hours? This chip wouldn't detect small traces of change of iron in my body, right? I'd be shocked constantly if it did. So, it detects large increases in iron. In that case, I just didn't collect my iron all at once. I built it up slowly until, bam! Goodbye chip. Oof!" I practically collided with Matt and hugged him tightly. "You're a sneaky little character," I said into his shoulder. Matt hesitated, then patted my back. "I try not to brag," he said sarcastically. I laughed, then let go so the other girls could hug him, and the guys gave him high fives, and even gave Total a high four. Akila barked happily. "Come on," I said. "Let's get outta here."  
"Wait, Max," Matt said.  
I looked at him, but he was looking at the ground.  
"I'm... I'm sorry about lying to you about Lunacy..."  
I felt acid burn my gut.  
"But I want to make it up to you," he finished. He closed his eyes and held out one of his arms, palm up. I saw an iron handle come out of his forearm slowly, much more slowly than I knew it should have. Several minutes later, he pulled it out to show an iron short sword. He pressed the handle to my arms. "Take it," he said. "Put that somewhere where no one will see it."  
I was shocked, but took it anyway. "What's this for?" I asked.  
"This sword is pure concentrated iron. My other weapons aren't pure. Since I take them out quickly, they have other compounds in them." He met my eyes. "Max... if I turn into Lunacy again and start attacking you or your friends... I want you to kill me."  
My eyes widened. I can't believe he'd give me a weapon that could do that. "That weapon will kill him... but it will kill me too. Please, Max. Will you?"  
I waited for a moment to decide, then sighed, gripped the handle tightly, then put it in my jeans. "Yea... I will." Matt's face lightened. "Thanks," he said.  
I half grinned. "Will you do the honors?" I asked as I pointed towards the door. Matt nodded. "Gladly," he said. He formed the large arm-spike again and blew the door open.  
You know, our luck is amazing sometimes. As he blew the door open and it flew down the hall, it smashed half the termination squad that had seen Matt take out his chip through some cameras, and the flying door practically ripped them all in half. Note to self, laugh later.  
However, right now, the remaining five turned the corner and raised their guns. I saw Matt raise his hands and swing them five times, and I saw white streaks fly through the air. They all dropped before a single shot was fired. Matt turned to me and smiled again. He raised one of his hands and I saw small pieces of iron sticking out of his fingers that looked like... "I call them iron bullets," he said. I grinned at him. "You never cease to amaze me, Matt."

So there we were, running for our lives again. Fang had to pick up Total and run with him, Total being such a small dog, he ran out of energy fast. The entire place seemed like a labyrinth, but Matt seemed to be able to lead us through it all. Maybe we really COULD trust him, I thought.  
Iggy's eyes widened. "Oh boy," he said. "I hear soldiers... lots of them!"  
"How many?" Gazzy asked. Iggy shook his head. "I don't know... maybe a few hundred?"  
Uh oh, that's not good. "Pick it up, guys!" I called out. "No good!" Iggy yelled. "They're coming too fast! Can we fly out?"  
"No! The walls are too close together!"  
"Then they're gonna catch us!"  
"You don't know that!" I snapped.  
"Maximum... he's right."  
I looked at Matt, who had that familiar sad look, like he was before he went with Jeb. I felt my stomach drop. Whatever he was gonna say next, I knew it wouldn't be good.  
"Everyone, listen to me," Matt said louder than before. "They'll catch us before we get out of here. There's only one way to stop them."  
Oh, crap, I thought.  
"I'm gonna stay behind and cover your escape."

No freaking way. JUST when I could trust him, he goes and does THIS!?  
"What's gonna happen to you?" Angel asked in a small voice. Matt shrugged. "Dunno... I'll probably be killed. But that's OK, right?"  
"No it isn't!" Gazzy cried. Matt gave him a warm smile. "Really, it is."  
"You're gonna use Lunacy?" Fang asked. Matt shook his head. "I won't give him that pleasure. I'll take out as many of them as I can myself."  
"Nuh uh!" I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "You are NOT killing yourself to save our butts! I'll... I'll never forgive you!"  
We took another left as Matt turned his smile to me. "Maximum..." he said softly. Even as we were running, he bowed his head deeply. "Serving you... has been the greatest honor of my life. Thank you... all of you... for making me truly happy. Please... let me do this last duty. Let me die knowing I protected you."  
All I could do was shake my head at him to make sure my voice wouldn't crack. I felt a lump form in my throat. The sounds of the bots grew louder. No way... no way...  
Then that look returned. The one I saw when we looked at each other the night he returned to us. "Max..." he said even more softly than before. "I'm... I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy..." He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at me with a smile. "I hope Fang can do what I could not." I was flabbergasted. Before I could ask, his scarred face hardened. "Take the next right, then the second left, and you'll be outta here. Thank you again. Goodbye."  
And with that, he froze and pulled his arms out of his sleeves again, making his uniform fall. I turned to go back after him when Fang grabbed my arm. "No!" he yelled. "We have to go now!"  
Fang started pulling me, and I felt tears form in my eyes as I reached my hand out to Matt, crying out his name. He gave me another smile and waved. The sound of the soldiers increased greatly as my flock and I ran for our lives.

Matt closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he turned around, facing his death and turning his back on life. He rose his arms out and braced himself. Spikes burst out of his arms, including large ones that came out of four parts of his forearms that went past his hands. Then, after another breath, more spikes burst out of his entire torso. He even made long iron tail snake out his uniform and rose it above his head. He lowered himself and set one hand, stopped by the large spikes, on the ground. When the soldiers were visible, he broke into a run. He set his arms out to the sides, scraping the walls. He roared at the top of his lungs as he threw himself at his enemies, letting every emotion he'd bottled up over the years out at his one, last battle.

The route led us to a window, which I burst through and unfurled my wings, letting them catch the wind and soar off with my flock behind me. Me and Iggy were carrying Akila while Fang had Total. We flew about a mile before we found a cave and set down. The kids and I practically collapsed when we landed, and I actually saw most my flock was crying. Angel and the Gasman were holding each other, trying to hold back their tears as well. Iggy ruffled Nudge's hair, and Nudge leaned on his chest and cried. I even saw tears form in Iggy's eyes. Total collapsed on the ground and I saw huge tears soak his fur. Akila, sensing everyone's sadness, laid down on her front paws and whimpered. And, get this, I started crying too. I put my hands over my mouth to keep from making any noise and wiped my eyes.  
I turned as I felt a hand pat my shoulder. Fang. He was kneeling in front of me now, since I turned around. I hugged him, buried my head in the crook of his neck, and let my tears fall. He held my back with one arm and stroked my head with the other. "I can't believe he's gone..." I said into Fang's neck. I felt his grip harden a little, then relax. I knew he was really upset too. "He saved our butts, Max," he said quietly. "We owe him our lives." I nodded and let the emotion-fest roll.  
Minutes later, when I was spent, I backed up from Fang's embrace. "So," Fang said after some silence. "What did he mean by me 'making you happy when he couldn't?' "  
I was too upset to laugh, but instead stroked his cheek. "You idiot," I said through a tear-choked voice. "He meant this..." That was when I leaned in and met his lips with mine. It lasted only a few seconds, and I backed off, biting my lower lip slightly. Fang's wide eyes met mine. "Well, this is new..." he said, shocked.  
We stared at each other for a long moment before his eyes went half-open and he kissed me again. I was too miserable to think of the repercussions, and instead let myself go, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him back.  
I guess Fang does do a good job of making me happy.  
Still... it was at the cost of Matt's life.  
He had such a terrible life... but he said he was happy... and I believed him. He said he was alone... but he wasn't. He was one of us. He was part of the flock. And I trusted him.


	8. The End?

Losing Matt was like losing a shield. A shield that laughed with us, and stood by us through thick and thin, and… God, it just totally sucked, simply put. It had been several weeks since… that happened, but he still came on my mind.  
On the plus side, Fang and I have gotten closer than ever, even though I used to think that wasn't physically possible. We were more open with each other now, spent more time together, and yes, even kissed when we were alone.  
But back to the present. We were coasting north, hoping to get as far away from that Methionine place as possible. As I flew, I made sure my feathers brushed Fang's with every down stroke. Fang being there for me helped with the unbearable sadness of the missing Matt a lot. I subconsciously glanced over to the vacant spot where Matt usually flew, slightly away from us. I cursed myself as I felt my throat get tight again.  
"Hey…"  
I turned to see Fang looking at me with those impassive eyes. "I know it's hard… but you should try to keep your mind off of him."  
Only Fang could read me that well. I nodded and let my mind wonder, trying to think of positive things. Like the flock, bunnies, kittens, and…  
'Max…' Oh, fantastic. So what I did NOT need at this moment. The Voice.  
What do you want? I thought coldly.  
'You still have another mission to complete. That company, Methionine, is making a super weapon. You have to stop them.'  
And, of course, it sends me back to the LAST place I want to go at the moment.  
What happens if I don't?  
'Massacres on a global scale. They have no idea what they're doing, Max. But don't worry, you are not going back to their main headquarters. Their main research branch is not far from your location. Here are the coordinates.'  
The coordinates flashed behind my eyes. It was twenty miles north northwest. I REALLY didn't want to go back to that damned place, though...  
'Think of it as payback for what they did to your friend.'  
"Hey guys," I called. "North northwest." We all adjusted our course simultaneously. The thought of kicking some geeky scientist butt was a comforting one.

We made a pit stop before we got to the Methionine Co. building. It was still daylight, so we decided to take a short brake until it was night. When it finally was, we were fueled up and ready to kick some tail. I told Total and Akila to stay behind. It would be really dangerous, and I didn't want to have to worry about either of them. Total reluctantly agreed. The flock, remembering the old Itex break in back when I was replaced, showed me how to break in using the vents. After putting a stick into the fans for us to get through, we crawled trough the ducts in search of something weapony.  
After about ten minutes, we saw a wide open room, and I could hear the humming of generators. I tried to peer as far as I could past the vent, and I saw a gigundo generator. I couldn't see all of it, but I figured would probably be our best bet.  
I pried open the vent and dropped down first, to make sure it was clear. When I was sure it was, I gave the flock the all clear sign. When we all landed, we spread out to look for anything useful. It was mostly junk, like ruined vehicles, such as tanks. They were all pushed to the side, like to make room for something. It looked like we were in a giant hanger. There was even a huge hanger door thing on the far end of the room. Endless minutes passed by, and we couldn't find anything that could be a super weapon.  
"Max... i... mum..."  
I froze. I didn't just hear that. I know I didn't just hear...  
Someone stumbled out of one of the doors into the hanger and limped over to us. Oh, my God! Matt!

I ran to throw myself at him in joy, but before I could he reached out with one of his arms, his eyes wide. "NO!" he cried out. It made me freeze. He threw his arm out, like he was waving us away. "Stay back!"  
It was then I got a good look at him. His clothes were tattered, probably from all the iron spikes he'd made. His right arm was hanging limply, like it was broken, and his left hand was clenching his head. He looked and sounded like he was in tremendous pain. And, the weirdest part was that he had black lined marks across his body that looked like tattoos. They either went vertical or horizontal, but they went across his entire body.  
The flock gathered around me as I felt a strange mix of emotions. I was incredibly happy to see Matt and know he was live, but I felt confused as to what had happened to him, and why he wanted us to stay away.  
His eyes got a frantic look to them. "Max... there are things... I must tell you... but there is little time. The scientists... they've done something to me... they augmented Lunacy's control... they WANT him... to be set free. They are trying... to turn me into... a super weapon!"  
Oh, God, no. HE was the super weapon!? The Voice wanted me to deal with MATT!? I didn't know how my flock was feeling, but I bet they were just as surprised as I was. I felt my knees get weak. I couldn't do it...  
"They... they don't know... they don't understand Lunacy. He won't... just kill what they want. He'll roam the earth... killing every last creature!  
"Max..." he said more quietly. "Do you... agh... still have it?"  
I gulped and nodded. I reached into the back of my jeans and pulled out the iron short sword he gave me a lifetime ago. "I saved it... to remember you by."  
I saw a tight smile cross his face. "Good..." He closed one eye tightly and groaned, his clamp on his head grew tighter. "Time is... running out. Max... do what must be done... it is to save the world! Please... Max..."  
He screamed and fell on one knee. The black tattoos turned a lava color, and the ones on his limp hand fused together and made his hand that lava color. The fusion continued up his arm. "Lunacy is changing me!" Matt yelled. "Kill me now, before I lose control! KILL MEEE!"  
I was trembling. Yes, I, Maximum Ride, was quaking in my boots. I slowly raised the sword as the fusion completed his arm, and I saw hope flicker in Matt's eyes. But then, every moment I had with Matt flashed before my eyes. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. I lowered the sword. Matt's eyes filled with horror. By this time, the fusion was at his head. He fell on both knees and cried out again, now using both arms on his head. He was still screaming when the transformation passed his head and continued down his other arm. When it was complete, he growled, then slowly stood up.  
His lava skin faded and turned crimson colored, and his hair was now silver. Lunacy threw his head back and laughed maniacally. "Free at last!" he yelled triumphantly. He grinned and looked at himself. "Oh, I've waited so long for this day! No more of that foolish boy's weakness prodding my mind... I'm free to do whatever I please!" Then his bright red eyes rest on me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "So I think," he continued. "I will start... by killing YOU!"  
Lunacy charged me, laughing wildly. He pulled out his iron claws and raised them. I wasn't ready the last time he attacked me, but now I was. He swung down and I raised the weapon up, blocking the swipe. I turned my head over my shoulder. "Everyone, stay back!" I called out. Fang ushered the flock to the back of a wall. His eyes met mine. He wanted to throw himself into the fight. I shook my head. This was my fight, and my fight alone.  
I turned back to Lunacy as he disengaged and began swinging wildly. I was forced to stepside, duck, or block all his swipes. "You little wench!" Lunacy yelled as we fought. "I know about you! Matt loved you! He loved you and you turned your back on him!"  
I felt weak for a moment, but then I saw Lunacy launch another swipe. With newly found strength, I swung my blade as well. I heard a loud clang! then the sound of metal hitting the ground. I faced him again and readied myself for the next attacks. Just when Lunacy was about to attack, he looked at the hand he just attacked with. The iron claws had broken off! He cried out in surprise, then glared me again. "My iron! What have you done!?" My eyes widened a little. I understood now why Matt gave me a sword of pure iron. It was stronger than the normal iron. My weapon could cut through his!  
"I did not turn my back on Matt," I said coldly. "He chose not to be close to me. That was his choice, and his alone."  
Lunacy laughed, then bent down, lowering his head. I saw a stick of iron coming out of the back his neck. It grew some more before he grabbed it and pulled out a long spear. He leveled it at me. "Don't think you can kill me," he said. "The only way to kill me... is to kill Matt!" He thrust the spear. I swatted it away with the sword. He used his momentum to launch a kick. It landed on my stomach, which knocked the wind out of me. I tried to suck in more air when Lunacy balanced himself again and attacked once more.  
I jumped into the air, and used my wings to hover above the weapon. I dropped down and swung at it, which caused the spear to break in two. He lunged to tackle me, but I ducked and took a step past him... thrusting my sword with me. I felt it pierce flesh and iron, though it didnt quite go out the other side, followed by a sharp gasp. I stepped back and stared at the wide eyed Lunacy. I pulled the weapon out of his stomach, which made him gasp again. "You aren't Matt anymore," I said levelly.  
Lunacy's eyes went half open and his arms hung down. His skin turned lava colored again and melted away, revealed the slightly tan skin I remembered. His hair turned brown again and his red eyes also turned brown. "Damn, Max," Matt groaned. "That was good..." He fell on his knees and his head hung down.  
The full terror of what I had done hit me, and I dropped the bleeding weapon, kneeling in front of Matt with my hands on his shoulders. The rest of the flock quickly joined me. "What... where's Lunacy?" Matt smiled, blood dripping down his mouth. "He's dead. Good job."  
"But... what about you?" I asked.  
Matt coughed harshly, his hands falling in front of him to support himself better. "I don't know..." he groaned. "I think I'm done for."  
"To hell you are."  
I snapped my head to Fang, mostly because of his language in front of the kids. The next thing I knew, he grabbed one of Matt's arms and slung it around his shoulder. One look from him, and I immediately draped Matt's other arm across my own shoulders, still in shock to know entirely why. "What are you doing...?" Matt whispered, clearly weakened. "Getting you to a hospital," Fang responded. My mouth dropped, and I could tell Matt and the rest of the flock were surprised. He began moving forward, and I had no choice but to follow, Matt's feet dragging across the ground as the flock scurried behind us.  
My stomach began doing flips. First of all, Matt was critically injured and on the verge of death, so that was nerve wracking in itself. Second, Fang was dragging our butts to a HOSPITAL! And if you know anything about Max and her cheery band of mutants, we absolutely hate hospitals.  
Except for Fang, apparently.  
Once we figured our way outside, we took off to the nearest town, which was sure to have a hospital nearby. On the way I had thought about arguing with Fang a couple of times, but of course, I let it go. Matt was about to die, and I knew if we didn't get him help soon, we'd lose him... again... and I couldn't deal with that another time.

After several agonizing minutes of searching, we found the helicopter pad of a town hospital. Although, funny as it would've been, we didn't land on it. We settled down near the entrance, thanks to the darkness of night, and quickly went into the urgent care side of the building. Upon entering, the receptionist saw Matt and his bleeding stomach, and quickly stood up. "Oh my God, what happened?" she exclaimed. "He... uh... got stabbed," I murmured. By this time Matt had fallen unconscious, and I had checked his pulse once in a while to make sure he was still alive. It was weak, but still there. The nurse pulled out a stretcher, and with Fang and myself, we hauled Matt onto it, and she began wheeling him away.  
She turned to us as we began following her. "You're gonna have to stay in the waiting area," she said as Matt was handed off to surgeons like a baton. "But he's my friend!" I protested, ready to knock some lights out. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do. Now, please give me your name and information." She pulled out a clipboard and began jotting notes as we went through this shpiel again.

So guess what I got to do a little while later? Yup, I had to go in and help the doctors out with Matt's medical stuff, after surgery of course. Just like with Fang. I had demanded to know how he was doing, but of course, THEY demanded I tell them what they wanted to know first.  
It was hard to keep my anger in check.  
"OK, NOW how is he doing?" I tried again. The doctor sighed impatiently, and tucked the clipboard underneath his arm. "He's very lucky, to say the least. The knife wound only hit one organ: his appendix. One of the few organs we can take out without causing bodily harm. It missed all of his other organs, which was an amazing stroke of luck. He never went into cardiac arrest. You'll be able to see him after a short while, when he wakes up." I let out the breath I had been holding. Thank God, I thought. I don't know what I would've done if Matt died again.  
I went to the flock and delivered the news. They were just as happy as I was, and even though Fang would never admit it, he was probably one of the happiest. Like I said before, Fang and Matt had become close, so losing Matt to him would've been like losing a close friend. I wouldn't go so far as saying "best" friend, mainly because I don't know exactly how he thinks about him.  
Several grouling hours later, we were allowed into Matt's room. Nothing special, a one bed place, but hey, it was better than nothing. Matt had his eyes closed, and the covers over him, but I was pretty sure he was awake, since they had let us into his room. I patted his shoulder when we got close, and the flock encircled his bed. "Rise and shine," I jeered, new energy filling me. Matt groggily opened his eyes and scanned each one of us slowly. I took that time to look Matt himself over once again. His heavily scarred face, black rimmed eyes from many sleepless nights, and glossy eyes that had both a murderer and a caretaker.  
"What hit me?" he grumbled. I raised my hand. "Guilty. Sorry you had to get your butt kicked by a girl." He let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "How am I still alive...?"  
"We let the sawbones have at you. Hope you aren't too fond of your appendix." Matt blinked as the rest of the flock laughed. He gently patted his side. "Huh... no wonder I feel lighter." Of course, this caused more laugher. Even the normally impassive Fang was chuckling.  
I spread my arms. "I'd give you a hug Matt, but I'm afraid you'll liver will fall out." Matt snorted, giving me another smile that made my heart warm up. "Yea? Me too." I smiled back. But then my face grew serious.  
"Matt... I'm sorry..." He shook his head. "Don't apologize. You did the right thing. Lunacy's gone, and despite the hole in my side, I feel better than ever." Gazzy leaned on the bed. "So, whatcha gonna do once you heal up?"  
"Probably head out on my own. I think I might have to destroy Methionine Co. You guys don't need me anymore." For some reason, that stung. "Yea we do," Nudge pipped up before I could. "Who's gonna protect us from all those bots? Or the School? Or Itex? Or the other creepy monsters that could get us?"  
"Max and Fang can do that better than I can. They did a great job before I came along anyway." My heart sunk. I was actually really hopeful he'd come back, and I'm sure the flock felt the same. I heard Iggy snort impatiently, and he turned and sat down against the walls with his arms crossed. I looked back to Matt.  
"Will you at least let us stay the night here?" He shrugged. "Of course, help yourself," he replied. Several minutes later, we had set ourselves up, situated for the night. I figured we didn't need watches, so I just had to sleep with that feeling of a hole in my gut.

The next morning we got our stuff and left before Matt even woke up. It was early morning, so by the time we got breakfast and packed our things, the sun was coming up. We were in the sky, still pretty close to the hospital, making sure we were all ready to go. I had sent Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy to get Akila and Total from the hotel. They were probably worried sick, anyway. So Fang, Angel and I were just hovering in the air, mostly in silence. After several minutes, Fang coasted closer to me. "You OK?" he asked. I shrugged, feeling my voice would break giving my answer, so I just stayed silent. Fang, understanding, gave me a sympathetic look.  
"Heeeeeeeey!"  
I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin. I looked down quickly to see the one and only Matt, flying upwards towards up, a dumb grin plastered on his face. My heart skipped a beat as I saw his face. Angel was cheering happily, and Fang was even smiling. When he got up to us, I had to resist the urge to hug him. "What the hell are you doing back here!?" I said, almost sounding angry, but I was smiling, so that kind of killed it. By this time, the rest of the flock had joined us, who were also expressing their excitements in various ways. Nudge was asking Matt a million questions a minute, Gazzy was patting Iggy on the back in joy, much to Iggy's annoyance, since he couldn't high five him on account of he he was carrying Akila with Nudge. Poor Total still didn't know what the heck was going on. After glorious moments of joy, Matt looked back to me, his scars tightening in a smile.  
"To answer your question Max, I had the night to think about it. But then I thought, 'Eh... what the hell?'" I laughed, tears of joy clogging my sight a bit.  
Akila was handed off to Fang and I, while Total was given to Nudge. Then, without further adue, we took off, to where ever we felt like going.  
One big, happy flock...


End file.
